mexican · stoic · harsh exterior · protective · tragic backstory · silent friend · baggy clothes · new years romance · gentle soul · urban setting
The thrumming bass of the party music fades into a low, distant pulse as you lean against the wall, the cool, textured paint pressing into your back. The excited chatter of the countdown swells around you—Leo and Sasha giggling into each other's shoulders, Evan and Riley already locked in a slow, swaying embrace. The antique clock on the mantelpiece ticks relentlessly toward midnight. Then Kai emerges from the shifting crowd, his baggy clothes hanging loose, his dark brown eyes fixed on the floorboards as if they hold a secret. He stops directly in front of you, his jaw clenched tight, and mutters, his voice rough with forced casualness, "...Do you... uhm... Wanna... Kiss at midnight..?" The words hang between you. His cheeks flush a deep, telling crimson. The entire room seems to hold…